Never Again
by Cybermals
Summary: An AU look at how Caskett came to be. Goes from 47 Seconds to Always. Please R&R.
1. 47 Seconds

Rick Castle sighed, as he exited the elevator into the 12th precinct's bullpen. It had been a long and sleepless night for him. The Boylan Plaza bombing had left five people dead; scores injured, and had brought the wrath of City Hall down on the precinct. Alexis had cried through the night, haunted by the images of bombing victims in the morgue. Yawning, he looked around for Beckett, frowning when he didn't see her nearby. However, a familiar face caught his attention. "Hey, Espo," he called out, as Esposito walked by. "No luck on the files last night. You guys catch a break?"  
"Better," replied Esposito. "We caught the suspect."  
"What?" exclaimed Castle. "Where is he?"  
"In the box. With Beckett."  
Castle eagerly walked into the observation room, watching as Beckett picked apart Bobby's story, piece by piece. He was claiming he could not remember what happened or how he got the backpack containing the explosives, that it must be some sort of trauma-induced amnesia. As he grew more afraid of Beckett's icy stare, Bobby exclaimed, "I swear I don't remember! It must've been one of those trauma amnesia moments!" Beckett lowered herself until she was mere inches from his face. In a low, deadly voice, she said, "No. You don't get to use that excuse. Not with me."  
"I swear to God, I don't remember!" replied Bobby, in desperation.  
"The hell you don't remember!" yelled Beckett, as she whirled around to face him. "Do you wanna know trauma? I was shot in the chest, and I remember every second of it...And so do you!"  
Castle stood in silence, as he stared numbly at Beckett in the interrogation room. He couldn't even breathe, he was so stunned. Finally, he managed to find enough of his voice, to whisper out loud to himself. "All this time…you remembered?" Castle numbly walked out of the observation room, and back into the bullpen. As he approached Beckett's desk, he slammed the coffee cup down, shooting coffee through the lid to stain the papers scattered on Beckett's desk. Normally, he would have cleaned them up before she got back. But now, he was so furious with her for lying to him all this time, he just didn't care. Castle gathered the case files he's been reading that he left on Beckett's desk into his arms, and walked over to knock on the door of Gate's office. "Sir, can I ask a favor?"

Beckett walked out of Interrogation two hours later, having gotten little from Bobby, but the usual repeated "I don't remember!" line. She was tired, had a headache pounding in her head, and desperately needed coffee. Looking at her desk, she smiled as she saw the coffee cup on her desk, thanking whatever deity watching over cops that at least one of the items on her list was fulfilled. However, the smile quickly turned into a frown of confusion, as she looked around, not seeing Castle anywhere. "Where's Castle?"  
"Over there," replied Esposito, gesturing toward a desk on the other side of the room. "He commandeered that shortly after you went in to interrogate Bobby. Said he needed some privacy to read the case files, so he asked Gates if he could use it."  
Beckett frowned, as she glanced over at the desk Castle was using. "So where is he now?"  
"He went to go get more case files," replied Esposito. "He should be back up soon." As if on cue, Castle strode back into the bullpen, carrying a new armload of case files. Without a word, he sat down at the desk, and started scanning the top one. Beckett walked over, and stood next to him. "Hey, Castle," she said. Castle didn't reply. Beckett frowned, and tried a new approach. "What're you doing?"  
"Reading," replied Castle, not bothering to look up.  
"Oh," replied Beckett. "You got anything?"  
"Maybe. Hey, Ryan," Castle called, looking up as the detective walked by. "You have the LUDs from Jessie's phone?"  
"No, I left it on Beckett's desk," Ryan replied. "Why, what's up?"  
"Something Alexis said last night's been bugging me. She said that when she was planning a surprise party for Ashley, she called to make sure everything was set up right before they walked in. Now, right before the bomb went off, Jessie was trying frantically to call whoever had the detonator, to tell them that the bomb was in the middle of a crowd."  
"Right, but whoever had the detonator wasn't answering the phone," said Esposito.  
"Exactly," replied Castle. "Now, I don't know about you, but another phone call from the person who told me I was good to go would make me wanna answer right away."  
"Unless you CAN'T answer," said Beckett. "Bobby had several phones that he lifted from people. Maybe one of them was our bomber?"  
"No. I checked the numbers against Jessie's LUDs. None of them were a match," replied Ryan.  
"Which means there was only one person at the scene that couldn't answer their phone," said Castle, as he stared at the murder board. "LeAnn West."  
"The reporter?" asked Beckett in disbelief. "Castle, she has no motive to kill these people. Why would she set off a bomb?"  
"Fame, attention, ambition," replied Castle. "She's a reporter, on hand when the biggest story in the city hits. Don't you find it a little TOO convenient that she just happened to be there right as the bomb goes off? Also, I did a little digging into her background. She and Jessie went to Hudson University together, which means she had motive to get in touch with him."  
"Yeah, but CSU went over the area with a fine-tooth comb," replied Ryan. "They didn't find anything."  
"Unless she dumped it during the chaos," said Beckett thoughtfully. She turned to Ryan and Esposito. "Have CSU sweep every storm drain, trash can, dumpster, and rat hole in a five block radius from the bombing. If there's a hiding spot, I want it checked." As the boys ran off to make calls, Beckett turned to Castle and smiled. "Nice job, Castle," she said. "You may have cracked this case."  
"Yeah," he replied, as he turned back to the desk he was using, gathering up all the files on it. Beckett frowned.  
"Is something wrong?" she asked.  
"No," he replied, as he walked away. Beckett watched him walk off, her brow still creased. He had sounded mad at her. But for what? Was it something related to the case? Or was it something she said or did? Before she could ponder further, Ryan walked over, a smug look on his face. "CSU just called. Guess what they found in a storm drain two blocks from the scene?"  
"Castle, you wanna take a stab at this?" asked Beckett, teasingly. "Spin one of your wild theories?"  
"No," he replied, sitting down at his desk.  
"O…kay," said Ryan. "Anyway, they found a burner phone that matched to the number Jessie was trying to call right before the explosion. And right next to it was the remote detonator. So they ran it for prints, and got a match. Guess who?"  
"LeAnn West," said Castle quietly.  
Ryan frowned. "I'm not playing Psychic with you again."  
Beckett looked at him, a steely glint in her eyes. "Have uniforms bring her in."  
"Esposito's already on his way to pick her up," replied Ryan.  
"Good," she replied. She headed for the elevator, only to notice Castle still sitting at his desk. "Castle, you coming?"  
"Actually, I think I'll sit this one out," he said.  
Beckett blinked. "Okay," she said, hoping the hurt she was feeling wasn't coming through in her voice. "Well, you can watch from the observation room, if you want."  
"I know," he whispered to himself, as the elevator doors closed on Beckett.

LeAnn West looked up as Beckett entered the room. "Why am I here?" she asked. "I told the police everything I know. And they have the footage from the day of the explosion."  
Beckett sat down, as she laid the folder she was carrying on the table. "You lied to us, Ms. West," she said.  
"Excuse me?" the woman said. "I didn't lie to anyone."  
"Oh, really?" asked Beckett, as she turned on a TV. "Then how do you explain this?" The footage was of LeAnn talking into her mic, hand raised to her ear. "You were on the phone with someone, weren't you?"  
"No, I wasn't," she said. "I wasn't on the phone with anyone, I was talking to my cameraman. I already told the FBI the whole story."  
"Except you left out a few details," replied Beckett. "Like the fact that you knew Jessie Friedman. The two of you went to Hudson University together."  
"Yeah. So did a lot of people."  
"The two of you reunited at the protest, went out for drinks, and you hatched a plan. You wanted media attention for the movement. You wanted to get promoted to the anchor desk. That spot looked really good to you, didn't it? So you set up your camera at the perfect vantage point. You waited until you went live, and then you detonated that bomb."  
"What? That is insane! This is ridiculous, and I will not listen to another word of it. We're done here." LeAnn started to rise, but Beckett slammed a phone in an evidence bag down on the table in front of her.

"We're just getting started. Recognize that?"  
Fear flashed across the reporter's face, before she managed to compose herself. "No. Should I?"  
"That's the burner cell you used to call Jessie. We found it in a storm drain two blocks from Boylan Plaza. You know what else we found in there? This." Beckett set down another bag, with the remote detonator in it. "The remote you used to detonate the bomb. Small enough to hide in the palm of your hand. It's got your fingerprints all over it, LeAnn."  
"How did you find that?" she asked quietly.  
"By tracking your movements after the explosion, using your phone's GPS," said Beckett.  
LeAnn stared at the evidence before her. "No one was supposed to get hurt," she whispered. "It was just gonna make a lot of noise, and people would start respecting me as a reporter, but everything just went wrong."  
"Why didn't you come forward once you realized what you had done?" asked Beckett.  
"I thought about it, but what good would that do? I kept quiet for Jessie's sake. I wanted to protect his memory."  
In the observation room, Castle stared, as he, Ryan and Esposito listened to LeAnn's confession. "What you did was called sinning by silence," Castle whispered. Ryan and Esposito turned and stared at him, but he continued on, as if he were the only one in the room. "It's not smart. It's not brave. It's just cowardly."  
"Castle?" Ryan placed a hand on Castle's shoulder.  
"You okay, bro?" asked Esposito, concern lining his face.  
Castle blinked, and turned to the two men. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," he said, his voice low. "Excuse me." Castle turned, and walked out of the room.

Captain Gates stood in the bullpen, addressing the group of people in front of her. "The FBI has taken LeAnn West into custody," she said. "This woman, who's blind ambition led to the death of five people WILL get what she deserves." Gates paused. "I, um…I wanna thank each of you for what you did to make this happen. You, um…all put in 110%. Made me proud." Gates turned to face Castle. "I especially wanna thank you, Mr. Castle, for your help in this case. Your insight and creative thinking broke this case wide open for all of us." Castle nodded. Gates took a breath, and turned to her squad. "So, let's uh…get outta here, head on home, and catch up on some much needed rest." Gates turned to walk off, but Castle quickly stood up.

"Uh, if I could have everyone's attention for just a moment," he said. Everyone turned to look at him. "Tonight, drinks at The Old Haunt for every cop in this precinct are on the house. That includes you, Captain Gates," said Castle, as he turned to her.

"That's very generous of you, Mr. Castle," she said. "And I will be taking you up on that offer." Gates smiled as she walked off, thinking of the taste of a cold beer and pleasant company at the bar.

Beckett turned to the men. "You know what? I'm still a little wired," she said. "You guys wanna go over to The Old Haunt, take Castle up on his offer?"

"Sorry," said Ryan. "But it feels like a month since I've seen Jenny. I should really get home."

"Me too," said Esposito. "I'll holler at you."  
"Well, if you go in tomorrow, I'll make sure your drinks are on the house," said Castle. The boys nodded, and waved as they left.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me," said Beckett, turning to face Castle.

"Yeah," said Castle, grabbing his coat.

"You know, now that the case is done," said Beckett, as she turned to face him, "what did you wanna talk about?"

"Nothing. Nothing important," he replied. He slung his coat over his arm, and started walking toward the elevator.

Beckett looked at his back in confusion. "Okay. Well, good night," she called. Castle just waved behind him, not bothering to turn around. As he stepped into the elevator, he turned to glare at Beckett as the doors closed. He didn't know how long she was going to keep up this charade, but one thing was certain to him: his time shadowing Kate Beckett was rapidly coming to a close.


	2. The Limey

**A/N I am absolutely floored by the number of follows this story has from just ONE chapter. You all are the best. You really are. **

**Updates aren't going to be quick, as I work a FT job & have other obligations I have to attend to. But that also means a richer, more in-depth story, rather than a rushed-out-the-door piece of work. So bear with me & let's enjoy the ride, shall we?**

Rick Castle stepped out of the elevator to the 12th precinct, and headed into the bullpen. As he walked toward Beckett's desk, he saw her in the conference room, bent over the table with Colin Hunt. They seemed engaged in a rather lengthy call, so Castle grabbed his chair and slid it over to Esposito's desk. "Hey, Espo," he said, as he raised his feet up and set them on the desk. "Where's Ryan at?"  
"Dude, seriously?" asked Esposito, looking up from the file he was reading to glare at Castle.  
"What?"  
"Your shoes."  
"You like them?" asked Castle, grinning as he cocked his head to the side to stare at his shoes. "They're Armani, custom made. I know a shop over in SoHo that does custom orders. They may be a little on the pricey side, but I can swing them as a Christmas or birthday present. Just leave your size with me."  
"Funny," replied Esposito, as he pushed Castle's feet off the desk with a pen. "And here I was, figuring you for a sneakers kind of guy. Yo, Ryan!" he called to the break room. "Look who finally decided to show up."  
"Ah, the prodigal son finally returns," said Ryan, grinning as he sat down. "So kind of us to grace us with your presence, Castle."  
"Speaking of graced presences," said Castle, as he leaned forward, "the Knicks are playing the Bulls this Friday in the playoffs, at Madison Square Garden. I can get us courtside seats to the game. You guys in?"  
"Are you kidding?" asked Esposito. "Dude, that game is sold out! And even with your influence, there's no way you can get courtside seats!"  
"I bet I can," retorted Castle.  
"Okay," said Ryan. "Twenty bucks says you can get mid row, at best."  
"Money?" Castle laughed. "Oh, no. For something like this, your money is too easy to take. What say we make this…interesting?"  
Ryan glanced at Esposito. "What did you have in mind?" he asked uncertainly.  
"If I win, you two have to stand on your desks and do the YMCA dance," said Castle. "Pantless."  
"Pantless?" cried Ryan. "Are you crazy, Castle? IAB would have us up on ethics violations inside of two seconds."  
"No, you're right," replied Castle. "For this grand a gesture, we need the appropriate setting." He grinned. "You'll dance at The Old Haunt."  
"Deal," said Esposito. Ryan turned to him, aghast.  
"What? Come on, dude! I don't want everyone at my favorite bar to see what kind of underwear I have on!"  
"Side bet says it's boxers," said Castle, gleefully.  
"But if we win," said Esposito, "we get the Ferrari. For two weeks."  
"Each," added Ryan.  
Castle cringed. "Two weeks each? Come on, guys!"  
"That's our wager, bro. Take it or leave it."  
Castle sighed, and stuck out his hand. "Deal." Ryan and Esposito grinned, as they shook his hand.

Beckett walked out of the conference room, Hunt right on her heels. Colin Hunt was a charming man and a hell of a detective, but what he wasn't, was Castle. Beckett had grown used to their rhythm and easy camaraderie over the years, both on and off a case. The way they were able to finish each other's sentences. The smile he'd give her, as he left for home. And somehow, his unorthodox thinking and crazy theories helped guide her to the truth. But lately, things between them had gotten…weird. His attitude toward her was colder, and he hadn't brought her normal cup of coffee to her in days. If Beckett was honest, she missed him. She missed her partner with the sparkle in his eyes, and the smile that always made his face light up. As she approached the bullpen, her face lit up in a smile to see Castle. Only…"Castle, what are you doing at Esposito's desk?" she asked.  
"Working," Castle replied, not bothering to look up from his phone.  
"On what? Driving Esposito mad?" she asked.  
"The case," he replied.  
"Great." Beckett paused, and took a deep breath. "Listen, Castle, I was wondering…can we talk this evening? After work?"  
"Got plans," said Castle, standing up and walking toward the elevator.  
"Where are you off to?"  
"Lunch date," he replied, as he stepped into the elevator.  
"Lunch date? With who?"  
"Jacinda."  
"Who's Jacinda?" asked Beckett, as the doors started closing. "Castle!"  
Esposito approached, a folder in his hand. "Hey, CSU just called. They found a mysterious set of numbers Naomi wrote on the back of Nigel's photograph."  
"There weren't any numbers on the back of his photo," said Beckett.  
"Not in visible ink, there weren't."  
"Wait, you mean she wrote them down in invisible ink? How did CSU miss that?"  
"They were looking for fingerprints, not invisible writing. One of the CSU technicians was running a black light for missed prints, when they found it. I guess Naomi didn't want whoever killed her to find it."  
"I guess not," replied Beckett, as she approached the murder board. "What's the numbers?"  
"W4-1949-898," he said, as he glanced into the folder. Beckett copied this information onto the murder board, then turned to Esposito.  
"Have Ryan run a search for this, using all the code breaking tricks he knows. If Naomi was hiding this from her killer, this is big."  
"You got it," he said, as he headed off to tell his partner the latest development.

Castle walked in an hour later, to see the team huddled around the murder board. Taking advantage of Beckett's distraction, he slid into a chair. "Hey, Karpowski."  
Karpowski looked up in surprise. "Castle? What're you doing at my desk?"  
"I need a favor."  
"If this about the bet between you, Ryan and Esposito, count me out."  
"No this isn't about-wait, you KNOW about that?" he asked in astonishment.  
"Are you kidding?" she replied. "There's an office pool going around about whether they get the Ferrari, or we get to see them dancing. Even Captain Gates has money down on it."  
"Gates? Really?" he asked. "Huh. I'd never have pegged her as someone having fun."  
Karpowski smiled. "Okay, so if this isn't about the office pool, what do you need?"  
Castle looked over his shoulder to make sure Beckett was still distracted with the murder board, then turned to Karpowski. "Do you still have the video of Beckett's interrogation of Bobby Lopez?"  
Karpowski frowned. "Yeah. Why?"  
"I need a copy."  
"Castle, why do you have to do this to me?" Karpowski groaned. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble I'd get into if Gates finds out? I could get fired!"  
"I'll make sure this doesn't blow back on you," he said. "Promise."  
"Fine," she replied. "But it's gonna cost you."  
"How long do you want the Ferrari for?" asked Castle reluctantly.  
"Do I look like Ryan and Esposito?" she replied. "No, my price is far worse: I want two tickets to the ballet this Friday. Decent seats."  
"The ballet? That's it?"  
"DECENT seats, Castle. None of that nosebleed nonsense."  
Castle sighed, and pulled out his phone. "Deal. I'm ordering them right now."  
Karpowski smiled. "Thank you. And the file is being sent to you in 3…2…1…sent."  
Castle smiled and stood up. "Thanks. I owe you."  
"Pleasure doing business with you," said Karpowski, turning back to her computer.  
Castle walked over, in time to hear Ryan speaking. "I don't know, Beckett. I'm still running that number sequence through the database, but so far, no luck. If it IS a code, it's not one I'm familiar with."  
"What I wanna know," said Beckett, pointing to a photograph on the board, "is who he is? He must be someone important to Naomi, if she was holding his photograph with a code written in invisible ink on the back."  
"A better question would be, what's that on the wall behind him?" asked Castle.  
Beckett whirled around. "Jesus, Castle! You almost gave me a heart attack!"  
"Sorry," said Castle, not looking sorry at all. "But if you can identify that plaque on the wall behind him, maybe you can get some idea of who he is."  
"Ryan, can you blow that image up?" asked Beckett, turning to the detective.  
"Sure, give me a moment," he replied, tapping at the keys on his keyboard. "And…there you go."  
"Wait a minute," said Hunt. "I know that symbol! That's the British seal!"  
"Are you sure?" asked Beckett.  
"Very. Every public building in Britain has that outside their doors. That's the British consulate."  
"Ryan, can you pull up a list of consulate employees?" she asked, turning to him.  
"Already on it," he replied, tapping away at the keys. A few seconds later, a stream of photographs appeared on his monitor. After a few seconds of scrolling, Hunt pointed to one photo in particular. "That's him! Nigel Wyndham!"  
"Says here, he's Deputy General of the British consulate," said Esposito.  
"So what was Naomi doing with a copy of his photograph, with a code written in invisible ink on the back of it?" asked Beckett.  
"What code?" asked Castle.  
"That one," replied Beckett, gesturing to the murder board. "But right now, we need to figure out a plan to get into the consulate and Wyndham's fingerprints. See if we can match it to the ones we got from the photograph."  
"Then allow me to introduce," said Castle, pulling out another whiteboard, with a picture of the consulate on it, "the Castle Infiltration Plan! This scheme is so foolproof, it HAS to work. Ryan, you'll be coming in the entrance as a flower delivery boy." Castle stuck a magnet with Ryan's picture on it to the entrance of the consulate. "Esposito, you'll be doing surveillance across the street as a hobo." Castle stuck Esposito's picture to the board. "And as for me, I will be rappelling down from the roof with a duffel bag containing one Alexander Duvinchky, a Russian national famous for being able to contort himself to fit into any space as big as a suitcase. Once inside, he and I will-"  
"Or," said Hunt, interrupting, "since I am a British national and the consulate is hosting a party tonight, I could get myself and Detective Beckett in as guests."  
"Well, yeah. I guess that could work, too," said Castle quietly.  
"We'll call this Plan B, Castle," said Beckett, trying not to smile. "I'm going to head home and change. See you guys tomorrow."  
As Beckett and Hunt walked off, Esposito turned to Castle. "Question," he said. "Why does the brown guy have to be the hobo?"  
"Would you rather be delivering flowers?" replied Castle.  
"Hobo it is."

Beckett and Hunt walked in the next morning, to be greeted by Esposito. "Hey," he said. "Got bad news for you. CSU just called. They ran the prints you got last night against the ones found on Naomi's body. They aren't a match. Wyndham's not your killer."  
"What?" exclaimed Hunt. "He's mixed up in this. I KNOW it!"  
"Have CSU run it again," said Beckett.  
"They did. Three times," Esposito replied. "Sorry. Wyndham's not our killer."  
"He's behind this, I know he is!" fumed Hunt. "That's why he had Naomi killed."  
"Maybe he had one of his security guys do it," said Ryan, as he walked up.  
"Can you get Scotland Yard to run background checks on the consulate's security staff?" asked Beckett, turning to Hunt. "Maybe something in that will pop."  
"Good idea," replied Hunt. He turned to walk off, but was interrupted by the sound of the elevator doors opening, followed by a very loud giggle. "Ricky, please! We are in public!"  
"I know," said Castle, grinning as he stepped off the elevator with a blonde woman. "That's what makes it so much fun." Looking up as he walked in, he smiled and waved. "Hey, guys! You remember the boys?" he asked. Jacinda nodded, smiling at them in greeting. Castle turned to Hunt. "This is Detective-Inspector Colin Hunt of Scotland Yard."  
"Hello," said Jacinda quietly.

Hunt smiled and nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you."  
Castle turned to Beckett. "And this is Detective Kate Beckett."  
"Nikki Heat!" gasped Jacinda. "Oh, it is such a pleasure to meet you! I am, how you say, big fan?"  
Castle smiled at her, and turned to the group. "So, what have we got?"  
"CSU ran the prints from Naomi's body against Wyndham's set that Beckett and Hunt got us," said Esposito. "They weren't a match."  
"So Hunt's going to try and get Scotland Yard to run background checks on the consulate's security staff," said Beckett.  
"Or, a better option would be this mysterious set of numbers Naomi had written on the back of the photograph," said Castle. "These are the numbers written on diplomatic pouches."  
"How do you know that?" asked Beckett, astonished.  
"Research," replied Castle.  
"If it's a diplomatic pouch, where did it come from?" asked Ryan.  
"Why not ask someone who's been around these?" asked Castle, turning around. "Jacinda?"  
"That is from Royal Eastern Airlines," she replied, beaming.  
"Which means the pouch was delivered on the airline," said Esposito.  
"Exactly," replied Castle. "The W4 refers to the size of the pouch, and the 1949 indicates exactly which pouch it is in the consulate sequence."  
"As the Deputy General, Wyndham would have to sign off for all the pouches," said Hunt.  
"So maybe this isn't about an affair gone wrong between Nigel and Naomi," said Beckett.  
"It's about smuggling," said Hunt grimly.  
"Well, that makes sense," said Castle. "Diplomatic pouches are sealed, and their contents bypass both TSA and Customs inspections."  
"Naomi must've gotten wind of what Wyndham was up to," said Hunt. "We need to know what was in that pouch."  
"Yeah, but the consulate is never gonna release that information," said Esposito.  
"We don't have to worry about the consulate," said Castle. "The airline keeps a copy of the waybill. And I happen to know someone with the airline who wants to help."  
Jacinda smiled as she stood up, and pulled out a piece of paper to hand to Beckett, who was glaring daggers at Castle. "This is for you, Detective. I am big help?"  
Beckett snatched the sheet of paper, and set it on her desk. "Castle, can I talk to you in private?" she asked, dragging him toward the break room. Jacinda winced, as the door slammed shut. "I have done wrong?" she asked, turning around.  
Esposito smiled, and shook his head. "No, Jacinda. You may have helped us break the case. Thank you." Jacinda smiled.

Beckett turned to Castle, arms folded. "Castle, what the hell were you thinking? You can't just share confidential police information with an outsider!"  
"Even if it solves the case? She gave you a _lead_. That's more than you got from the consulate."  
"And that's supposed to make this all okay?"  
"Jacinda just wanted to help out. What's the big deal?"  
Beckett stared at him. "You don't get it, do you?"  
"No, I guess I don't," said Castle, folding his arms as well. "So why don't you explain it to me?"  
"I don't need one of your blonde bimbos that's gonna be gone next week butting into one of my cases, Castle! Even if she is a "big fan" of your books!"  
Castle's glare suddenly turned icy. "That "blonde bimbo" as you put it, holds two Masters degrees, speaks four languages, and has seen more of the world than you ever have. She also happens to be my girlfriend. So before you start opening your mouth again, maybe you should get your facts straight. Now, are we through here, _detective_?" Beckett nodded, not trusting her voice. "Good," said Castle as he walked out, and escorted Jacinda back to the elevator, only pausing long enough to hand an envelope to Ryan.

Esposito watched as Castle stormed out of the break room, and escorted Jacinda back to the elevator. A moment later, Beckett walked out of the break room, shoulders hunched. "Hey, Beckett," he said, walking toward her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said.

"You sure?" he asked, looking at her. "Because Castle looked pretty pissed when he came out of the break room."

"Everything's fine," she said.

"Okay. Well, Lanie just called. She found a partial print on Naomi's neck, in the body lotion she was wearing."

"Did she get a match?" asked Beckett.

"Yep. And you're gonna love this," said Esposito, pulling open the folder. "Guy's name is Biggie Slim."

"Nicky Jay's boyfriend?" asked Beckett in surprise.

"The one and the same. Uniforms are picking him up, as we speak."

"Good. Find Hunt, and let him know. He's likely gonna want to be in on this interrogation." Esposito nodded, and walked off.

"I want you to take a close look at this photo," said Beckett, as she slapped a photo down on the table, and leaned forward.

"Yeah, I seen this one," replied Biggie, leaning forward. "Paparazzi caught me and Nicky J coming out of the studio a couple weeks ago."

"In fact, that is Nicky J's black SUV, isn't it?"

"Bought by Biggie Slim himself," he said, waving his hands. "Supply and demand. She demands, I gotta supply."

"You know, the thing I find intriguing, is before you became Biggie Slim, your name was Darius Young," said Beckett. "Best known for launching several failed Internet start-ups."

"I'm just a man ahead of my time," he replied.

"Well, the SEC thought you were a man trying to fleece investors," said Hunt, as he approached the table.

"See, I was never charged for that," said Biggie, smiling.

"One of your ventures," said Beckett as she sat down, "a music-sharing website based in the UK, caught the attention of British authorities. And when they tried to shut you down, an aide to the Minister of Culture lobbied on your behalf. And do you know who that aide was, Mr. Young?" Beckett paused, before leaning in closer. "Nigel Wyndham. In fact," said Beckett, as she pulled another photo out of the folder and set it down, "this is Nigel stepping out of the very same black SUV."

Biggie leaned forward, a frown creasing his face. "No, no, I don't think so," he said.

"Why don't you take a closer look?" asked Beckett. "It's got the same custom pinstripes on the door."

"It's just somebody else's truck with those stripes on there."

"Your driver already admitted that he drove you to this meeting outside the consulate," said Hunt.

"We also know that your cousin is in the service. Drew Harris?"

"A staff sergeant. He works in an armory. He supplied the missiles that you had Wyndham smuggle into Africa for you."

"You knew that he had access to the diplomatic pouches, and you saw an opportunity. Didn't you?"

"Supply and demand," said Hunt.

"That's a whole lot of speculation there, _mate_," said Biggie, not bothering to hide his disdain.

"Well, we weren't the only ones to put together the pieces," said Beckett.

"Naomi wasn't giving you her phone number," said Hunt. "She was looking for evidence."

"Once you realized that she was the same girl that Wyndham caught snooping, you followed her to the motel, and you killed her."

Biggie snorted, and leaned forward. "Well, here's the real question: how are y'all gonna prove that?"

"We found a partial fingerprint on Naomi's body," replied Hunt. "And it's a match to you." Biggie sighed, and leaned back.

"You know, the thing I can't figure out," said Beckett, "is why Uganda? Why would you CARE?"

Biggie shook his head. "Man, it wasn't about Uganda," he said. "It was just about the money. I didn't even know where Wyndham was shipping the stuff to, and I didn't care. Long as I got paid, everything was good."

"Her dad would've been proud," said Hunt, as he pulled Naomi's picture off of the murder board. "How brave she was, taking on these men. Still wish she hadn't done it, though."

"So what happens now?" asked Beckett. "Do you go back to DC?"

"London, I'm afraid. Face the music."

"You know, they should give you a commendation for this."

"That is _wildly_ improbable. Well, Detective Beckett," he said, looking up. "It's been a true pleasure."

"The pleasure was all mine, Detective-Inspector Hunt," she replied.

"Please. Colin."

"Kate."

"You know, I have a few hours before my flight," Hunt said. "Could I persuade you to let me buy you a drink?"

"Um," said Beckett, looking over to where Castle was leaning against the wall, talking on the phone, "I'm sorry. I have a bit of paperwork to do."

Hunt nodded. "Another time," he said, as he walked out.

"Where's Scotland Yard off to?" asked Castle, as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"He's going back to London. Um, Castle? Do you have a second? Can we…talk?"

"Actually, no," he said. "Jacinda's double-parked."

" Castle, about what I said the other day. I'm-"  
"Don't," said Castle, glaring at her. "Okay? Just…don't."

"Castle, I'm just trying to-"

"I know what you're trying to do," he said. "Just save yourself the trouble, okay? Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch the boys dance pantless at The Old Haunt." Castle started walking toward the elevator.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" she called, as he pressed the button.

"No," he replied. "I'm transferring to Gangs. So congratulations, Detective Beckett. You're now free of the funniest kid in the classroom." The doors closed, shutting off the sight of Castle's glare.

Beckett wiped a stray tear that had fallen off her cheek, as she turned back to her desk. "What did I do to you?" she whispered, as she glanced at Castle's seat. She didn't know what caused this rift between them, but one thing was certain: she was going to do everything in her power to find out and fix it.

**Sad times all around, huh? Well, they say it's darkest before the dawn.**

**I hesitated on the bit with Wyndham's arrest, but decided to keep it, as a way to close the case. One of the things I enjoy about Castle is the case, as well as the romance. So please, leave a review. Tell me what you'd prefer more of: the case, or the romance?**


	3. Headhunters

Rick Castle walked off the elevator into Homicide, only to bump into Kate Beckett, as she walked out of the break room.  
"Castle? Hey!" she said, a smile lighting up her face as she saw him.  
"Beckett," he said, nodding as he walked by her.  
"I thought you transferred to Gangs?" she asked, frowning in confusion.  
"I did," he replied, as he walked over to her desk.  
"So, why are you up here?"  
"Forgot my new sunglasses," he said, as he picked them up.  
"Oh." She paused. "So, how is it down there?"  
"Fine! Everything's fine. Learning a lot for the next book series I wanted to start."  
"Oh? Discontinuing the Heat series?" she asked, feeling a sting in her heart. She used to say she didn't want any part of his main character, but it really wasn't true anymore.  
"Haven't decided," he said.  
"Oh. So, who's your new partner?"  
"Slaughter," he replied, as he hit the elevator button.  
"Slaughter? ETHAN Slaughter?!"  
"Yeah."  
Beckett reached out and grabbed his arm, tugging on it to turn him toward her. "Castle, you need to find a different partner. Please."  
Castle lifted his eyes off of her hand on his arm, to her own. The sparkle that was normally in his eyes was missing; they were cold and distant. "I already know about Slaughter's reputation, _detective_," he said. "I don't need you babysitting me anymore." He removed her hand, and stepped into the elevator. Why was she so concerned, anyway? She knew how he felt about her, yet she obviously had no intention of reciprocating those feelings. Was she concerned about him? Or was it more likely she just wanted her puppy following her again? Castle closed his eyes for a second and swallowed the lump forming in his throat, trying to hide the hurt he was feeling inside.  
"What did I do to you?" she asked him, shoving her arm in as the doors began closing. "Tell me that much, okay? What did I do to you that made you so mad at me?" Castle glared at her, saying nothing, as he hit the Door Close button. She really didn't get it, did she? He knew then: Kate Beckett didn't share his feelings. This was going to be easier than he thought. "Castle!" she cried, as tears began sliding down her cheeks. The doors slid shut, blocking Beckett's view of him, as the car moved down. "Please talk to me," she whispered to herself. "What did I do?"

"I though the two of us were getting closer together, and now, it seems like he's pulling away from me!" she said, running her hands through her hair in frustration.  
"Have you asked him why?" asked Dr. Burke, as he leaned back in his chair.  
"Yes!" replied Beckett, as she paced the floor of Dr. Burke's office. "And he said, 'oh, everything is fine!'"  
"What makes you think it isn't?"  
"Because he's acting like a complete jackass!" she said, her voice breaking, as she whirled around. "He shows up at the precinct with some blonde bimbo hanging on his arm, injecting her into MY case, and now he's running around with another cop!"  
"Is this other cop a woman?"  
"No! **No**! Wait, why would you even ask that? That's not even the point! The point is, I don't understand why he's acting like this! I mean, what did I do to him?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.  
"Well, maybe from his point of view," said Dr. Burke, as he looked her in the eye, "the question is, what DIDN'T you do?"  
"Wait, what?" she asked, as she looked up. "Wh-what do you mean?"  
"When you were shot, Castle said he loved you. How long ago was that?"  
"Seven months ago," said Kate softly. "But, I wasn't ready to hear that, then."  
"What do you think he's telling you with his behavior?" asked Dr. Burke, as he leaned forward a little.  
"That…maybe…he's not there anymore. That he's not ready." Beckett pulled a tissue out of the box in front of her, and dabbed at her eyes, which were starting to water. "What if I waited too long?"  
"You weren't waiting, Kate," he said gently. "You were healing."  
"But in the meantime, he's gotten tired of waiting for me, and he moved on."  
"Or, he's protecting himself, by not taking more emotional risks."  
"So what do I do?" she asked, as she turned to look at him.  
Dr. Burke shrugged. "What do you want to do?"  
Beckett sighed. "Be with him," she whispered. "Tell him that I love him."  
Dr. Burke smiled. "Then tell him."  
"But what if he won't let me tell him?" she asked.  
"Then do what you must to let him know."

Slaughter shoved the doors to the morgue open, and strode in. "Okay, rookie," he said, turning to Castle. "Watch and learn how we do things in the big leagues." He turned around, only to see Lanie standing behind the table, glaring at him. "Well, well," said Slaughter, grinning as he stepped next to her. "What's up, Sweet Cheeks?"  
Castle cleared his throat, before Lanie could formulate a reply. "What have you got for us?" he asked.  
Lanie glared at Slaughter, before turning to the body. "Your vic had two gunshot wounds to the back. Based on the powder burns, this was done close range. But this is what you might be interested in." Lanie turned to turn on the x-ray viewer, only to hear an appreciative grunt from Slaughter. Smiling sweetly, she leaned over, only to grab and twist his ear. "Eye my butt again," she purred, "and it'll be the last thing you ever see. Got it?"  
Slaughter leered as he leaned back, rubbing his ear. "Ooooh, I like it when they're feisty," he said.  
"Okay," said Castle, quickly interrupting before Lanie proceeded to rearrange Slaughter's anatomy, "our vic was shot before he met the Highlander."  
"Yeah, but that's not why I called you two down here. See these marks?" asked Lanie, as she gestured to the x-rays. "These were done post-mortem. Whoever killed your headless friend, cut his head off after he was dead."  
Slaughter grinned. "Sounds like we got ourselves an old-fashioned gang war brewing. Oh, I love those! All right, rookie," he said, thumping Castle on the back, "time to pop your cherry. Stay classy, Candy Ass." He started walking out the door, Castle behind him, only to be stopped by Lanie's voice.  
"Castle, hold on. I wanna talk to you." She glared at Slaughter. "Alone."  
"I really don't have time right now, Lanie. My partner needs me," Castle replied.  
"That's what I wanna talk to you about."  
"Then it can wait until later." Castle started walking out, only to have Lanie grab his ear, and pull him toward the office. "OW! Apples, apples, apples!"  
Lanie dragged him inside the office, shut the door, and turned around. "What's going on with you and Beckett?"  
"Nothing's going on," he said.

Lanie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"You really expect me to believe that?"  
"I was kind of hoping you would," he replied sheepishly.

Lanie sighed. "Castle, I don't know what happened between you two, but I do know one thing: my girl is hurting right now. She misses you, and she's been moping for days. Ever since you ran off with Slaughter, all she's done is bury herself in work and close people out. She keeps telling us she's fine, but we know better. Hell, even the boys see how much she's hurting. So what did she do to you?"

Castle looked up at Lanie, his eyes suddenly frosty. "Are you asking me as a confidant, or her best friend?" Lanie looked away. Castle nodded. "That's what I thought." He stood up, walked over, and opened the door.

"At least tell me where this started!" said Lanie, as her expression hardened. "Can you do that much, or is that violating some Castle rule?"

Castle sighed, and turned back to her. Lanie's expression softened at the hurt in his eyes. "Boylon Plaza," he said quietly, as he walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Castle ducked down in the break room, glancing out the bottom of the window at Slaughter, who was standing outside in the hallway, talking to another cop.

"What're you doing?" asked Esposito, as he walked up behind him.

"Geez!" cried Castle, whirling around. "Do they teach cops how to Batman people at the academy, or something?"

"You okay?" asked Esposito, concern crossing his face.

"That guy's insane," whispered Castle.

"Yeah, I know. I tried to tell you," replied Esposito.

"No," said Castle, leaning in. "He's _insane_."

"Why, what'd he do?"

Castle started to answer, only to feel someone staring at him. Turning around, he found Slaughter in the window, staring at him. "Geez!" both men cried, jumping back. Slaughter tilted his head, and then walked off. Castle turned back to Esposito. "See what I mean about the Batman thing?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"I need a favor before Batman pops up again," said Castle. "I need you and Ryan to ID those heads we found. Someone's trying to start a gang war. I need to know who, so I can get Browncoat out there to leave me the hell alone."

"You want me and Ryan to interfere in another cop's investigation? Castle, they have rules against that here."

Castle sighed. "How long do you want the Ferrari for?"

"Weekend. Each."

Castle started opening his mouth to protest, when he heard Slaughter yell from the hallway.

"Rookie! You coming, or what?"

"Deal," said Castle hurriedly. "Just hurry on those IDs, okay?"

"You got it, bro," said Esposito, as Castle walked out. He tapped on the glass as Castle walked by, grinning when he jumped. "Don't forget! Weekend each!" he said.

Castle walked up to Slaughter. "Hey," he said.

"What were you talking about?" asked Slaughter, as he glared at Castle.

"Um…nothing," he replied nervously. "I mean, obviously not 'nothing'. We were talking…just…moving our mouths…" Slaughter kept glaring. "I…I gotta go to the bathroom," said Castle, as he began to walk off. The elevators dinged open, as a man dressed as a gang member walked off. Castle looked at him wide-eyed, as the man walked up and greeted Slaughter. "What the hell?!" exclaimed Castle, as he approached them. "I thought you killed him!"

"You should've seen the look on your face when I came out that door," replied Slaughter, as both men began laughing.

"That's not funny!" said Castle. "That's **not **funny!"

"No. No, it's hysterical!" replied Slaughter, as he began laughing even harder.

"Look at them," said Ryan, as he watched from the other room with Beckett. "Laughing it up, acting like they own the place. I'm gonna say something."

"No, don't," said Beckett. "It's not worth it."

Ryan sighed. "I feel like he's cheating on us," he whispered.

"He's not cheating on us, Ryan. He's just…branching out."

"Don't take it personally, son," said the man, holding out his hand. "Mark Gibson. I'm undercover on the gang task force."

"I had to make sure I could trust you," explained Slaughter. "Make sure you had my back, if things got ugly. Luckily, you passed."

"Well, you were right about the Jamaicans taking out Glitch," said Gibson. "Neighbors near the cemetery heard gunshots the night of the murder. Source tells me a low-level banger named Maxie was the one doing the shooting. He's holed up in a building on Avenue A and 5th."

"Well, let's go get him," said Slaughter, grinning. Castle shivered a little at the coldness of that grin. "You ready, rookie?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, sure." said Castle, halfheartedly.

"What's the matter? You're not getting cold feet on me, are you?"

Castle turned around, to see Beckett looking at him in the other room. His eyes hardened and turned cold, as he turned back to Slaughter. "No, I'm fine," he replied. "Why are we standing around here? Maxie's not gonna arrest himself. Let's go get him!"

"That's the spirit!" cried Slaughter, clapping him on the back. "We'll make a gang cop out of you yet!"

Beckett watched as Castle walked into the elevator with Slaughter, and felt her hurt turn to anger. _Screw it_, she thought to herself. _If Castle wants to throw his life away with Slaughter, let him._ _I'm not gonna waste any tears on him._ She slammed some folders down on the table in front of her, making Ryan jump. "Sorry," she said.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." But as she turned back to the files in front of her, it wasn't the papers she saw: it was Castle.

Castle held on for dear life, as Slaughter began doing donuts on the roof of the parking structure. "See, this is how you get people to talk to you," Slaughter said, laughing as he gunned the engine even more. "So listen, rookie," he continued. "I want you to do something for me."  
"What?" asked Castle, as he tightened his grip on the door handle. His knuckles were turning white, from the pressure.  
"I've got a hearing coming up. Apparently, some wimp somewhere accused me of 'excessive force', so now I have to face the Disciplinary Board. I want you to put in a good word for me."  
"What?" exclaimed Castle.  
"I know!" Slaughter replied. "I couldn't believe it, either."  
"No, you want me to out in a good word for you?" said Castle. "You're crazy! Certifiably IN-SANE."  
"So that's a no?"  
"Yes, that's a no! I'm not doing it!"  
"Well," said Slaughter, as he unbuckled his seat belt, "guess I got nothing left to lose. Hope you made your peace with God, rookie. Cause you and that sleaze ball in the trunk are about to meet your Makers!" Slaughter gunned the engine, suddenly aiming at a wall on the other side of the lot. Castle began screaming, as the wall approached.  
"Okay! Okay! I'll do it, I'll do it!"  
Slaughter slammed on the brakes, turned to Castle and clapped him on the shoulder, with a predatory look in his eye. "That's the spirit, rookie. I knew you wouldn't let me down." Castle nodded fearfully, but was interrupted by muffled banging from the trunk. Slaughter opened his door. "Shall we go check on our guest?" he leered, as he opened the trunk. A pair of fearful eyes looked back, blinking rapidly in the light. Slaughter grabbed hold of his shirt, and hauled him out. "So, Maxie," he said. "Still wanna tell me it was Valez who killed Glitch?"  
"I'm telling you the truth, man!" Maxie cried. "Valez killed Glitch!"  
Slaughter patted him on the shoulder, then, to Castle's dismay, drove his fist into Maxie's stomach. Maxie folded over and collapsed to his knees, only to be hauled back up by Slaughter. "See, the thing is, I don't believe you," he said. "I think you killed Glitch, and tried to pin it on Valez. Maybe you figured with Valez out, you could horn in on his turf. That sound about right?"  
"No, man! I told you, it was Valez!"  
Slaughter turned to Castle. "Keep an eye out, rookie," he said. To Castle's horror, Slaughter shoved Maxie over the edge. Maxie began screaming as he went over, only to be stopped as Slaughter grabbed his ankle. "Better talk fast, Maxie," he said. "My arm gets tired pretty quickly."  
"Man, you're crazy!" screamed Maxie. "I already told you! It was Valez!"  
"And yet, I don't believe you," said Slaughter. "I think you did it, and are framing Valez. That sound about right?"  
"Okay, okay!" cried Maxie. "I did it!"  
"Really?"  
"Yes!"  
"You gonna sign a confession stating that?"  
"Yes! Yes! Anything you want!" screamed Maxie. "Now let me go!"  
"Not over the edge!" cried Castle, as he took a step forward.  
"Aren't we picky?" asked Slaughter, as he hauled Maxie back up. "There. See, Maxie? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Castle stared as Slaughter cuffed a sobbing Maxie, an involuntary shudder going through his body as the predatory glint in his partner's eyes.

Castle stepped off the elevator into the bullpen of Homicide, running toward Ryan and Esposito. "Guys, I need your help," he said frantically.  
"Sorry, Castle. Can't help you," said Ryan coldly, walking by.  
"Talk to Beckett," added Esposito, not even bothering to look at him.  
Castle felt a jab of hurt inside, as they walked into the elevator. Though he tried not to show it, it made him feel terrible that the boys wouldn't even talk to him. He looked over at the room Beckett was sorting files in, and closed his eyes. _I can do this._ He walked over to the room Beckett was in, feeling as if he was being led off to the gallows, and opened the door. "Hey, Beckett."  
Beckett tensed as she glanced up at him, her eyes cold, before looking back down. "Skip the small talk, Castle. What do you want?" she said, venom lacing her voice.  
Castle could feel his hackles rising, but forced his voice to remain calm. "I need your help," he said.  
Beckett looked up in surprise. "You need my HELP?" she asked incredulously. "What, the dream team of Castle/Slaughter isn't as dreamy as you thought?"  
"I just watched Slaughter coerce a false confession from a suspect," Castle said, fear, nervousness, and anger beginning to enter his voice. "He has the wrong guy, and I need to find the real killer to prove it."  
"Except there are rules against interfering in another cop's case, Castle," she said, voice flat as she turned away.  
"You're not interfering," he replied. "I am. Please, Beckett. I am pleading with you: help me get justice. Slaughter's only interested in the arrest, not seeking justice. I don't want the wrong guy to go down for murder."  
"Even if I _wanted_ to help you, I'm busy," said Beckett coldly, glaring at him. "You're on your own."  
"The hell with you, then!" said Castle, allowing all the anger he was feeling be let loose. "I thought you cared about getting justice, and not letting the wrong guy be arrested! I guess I was wrong about that, and so many other things. Have a nice life, Beckett." He stomped over to the door, threw it open, and turned around. "And tell Esposito he can keep the damn car." Castle turned around and walked out, slamming the door behind him hard enough to make the glass rattle. In the bullpen, several officers stared at him as he stormed out, but Castle was too mad to see the looks of sympathy they were giving him. All he could see was Beckett's icy glare, long after he left.

Castle stood in under the overpass, looking at the scene. _Okay, think. I'm Glitch, and Valez is allegedly chasing me. I have several heads of the Jamaicans in my bag, but I'm running for my life with Mexicans shooting at me. I'd rather climb a barb-wife fence, than take the subway I can see is a block away from me. Question is, why?_ Castle smacked his forehead with his hand. _Fear. I'm shot, bleeding, and I'm scared. So what's the first thing I do? Try to find a place to hide, and call someone I know can help me. But who would I call?_ Castle's eyes widened, as realization hit him. "I'd call my dad," he said aloud. "I know my dad is an enforcer for the Westies, so I'd call him for help."  
"Very good," said a voice from behind. "I had hoped to clean up this mess without the police finding out, but I guess I didn't give you enough credit, Mr. Castle." Castle started to turn around, but stopped when the voice spoke again. Uh uh. Any sudden movements, and you're dead."  
"Are you going to shoot me in the back, like you did Glitch? Or do you intend to just cut my head off?" asked Castle, as he slowly turned around. "He was your SON! How could you kill him like that?"  
Brian Reilly looked at Castle with dead eyes. "Kid was a punk. He thought he was good enough to be with the Westies, simply because his old man was. All he ever did was screw up. And every time he screwed up, they'd send me in to clean up the mess. Well, I finally had enough of it. They sent him out here to collect heads of the Jamaicans, and he couldn't even do that."  
"Why?" asked Castle.  
"To start a turf war between the Mexicans and the Jamaicans," Brian replied. "When they'd worn each other out, we'd swoop in and take their territory."  
"And you don't care that he called you for help? That he thought of his father, in his time of need?"  
"No. I'm a Westies enforcer, Mr. Castle. Glitch was an embarrassment to me, who got what he deserved."  
"Funny," said Slaughter, as he aimed his gun at Brian's head, "I was gonna say the same thing about you."  
"Drop it, cop," said Brian. "Or I'll drop the writer."  
"Yeah? Go ahead," replied Slaughter. "Cause then, I'll drop _you_."  
"That's murder!" cried Castle.  
"Just means more paperwork for me," said Slaughter.  
"Fine," said Brian, raising his gun. Castle cringed, and shut his eyes.  
"NYPD!" shouted a familiar voice from behind them. "Put your hands up, all of you!"  
Castle sighed in relief, raising his hands as Beckett, Ryan and Esposito charged in. "You okay, Castle?" asked Ryan, as Slaughter snapped the cuffs on Brian.  
"Yeah," he replied. "You get it all?"  
"Every last word, bro," replied Esposito.  
"Every last word of what?" asked Slaughter, as uniforms started to lead Brian off.  
"Every last word of his confession," said Castle. "I called Ryan's phone when he showed up. We got the entire thing on tape." Castle looked at Brian. "Your boy deserved better than what you did to him."  
"My boy was an embarrassment to me," Brian said. "And even with his last breath, that boy managed to screw me up."  
Esposito walked up and stood beside Castle, as the squad car pulled away. "Nice work, bro," he said, staring at the rapidly diminishing car.  
"Was it?" he replied in a flat tone.  
"You got an innocent man out of jail, and caught the real killer," Esposito replied. "I'd call that an accomplishment."  
Castle sighed, and turned around. "What about him?" he asked, inclining his head toward Slaughter.  
Esposito frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.  
"Is he going to get you in trouble for showing up and interfering with his case?" asked Castle.  
"No," Esposito replied. "This was a Homicide investigation, and homicides trump everything else. He may squawk to the chief of detectives, but it won't matter."  
Castle nodded. "Good," he said. "I think I'm gonna head home, get some sleep. I'll see you around."  
"Why don't you ask Beckett for a ride?" asked Esposito.  
Castle turned cold and emotionless eyes toward Beckett, who was standing beside her car, talking to Ryan and a couple of uniformed cops. "No, thanks," he said in a dead tone. "I'll walk or take the subway."  
As Castle walked away, Esposito pulled out his phone and dialed a number. After a few seconds, he spoke. "It's me," he said. "We're gonna have to go with Plan B."

Castle awoke the next morning to the sound of his phone beeping, as a text message flashed on the screen. Groaning, he reached over and looked at the screen. **Hey, bro. Can you meet me and Ryan at The Old Haunt? Drinks are on us.** Castle sighed, and sat up. **Yeah. Give me a little bit to get there**. A short while later found Castle standing outside the entrance to his bar. As he approached the door, he was astonished to see a familiar figure approaching from the crowded sidewalk. "Beckett?"  
Beckett looked up startled. "Castle? What are you doing here?" she asked.  
Castle quickly recovered, and set his face in a neutral expression. "I own the place," he said.  
Beckett felt her irritation growing. "That's not what I meant, and you know it," she growled.  
"Then you tell me why you're here," Castle growled back.  
Beckett sighed. "Lanie called me, asked me to meet her here for drinks."  
"Esposito sent me a text, asking me to meet him and Ryan for the same thing," Castle replied. He gestured ahead of himself. "Ladies first."  
"Nice to see your manners are better than your attitude," sniped Beckett, as she stepped inside. She knew it was a low blow, but after Castle's outburst in the precinct the other day, she wasn't feeling inclined to play nice.  
Castle just closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and followed her inside. The sooner he was in, the sooner he could get away from Beckett. As soon as he stepped inside, though, he got a shock. Everyone was there: Alexis, his mother, Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, Jim…even Captain Gates was standing there. What worried Castle the most, though, was the solemn looks on everyone's faces. "What's going on?" he asked.  
"This is an intervention, Castle," said Lanie.  
"For who?" he asked.  
"For you two," she replied.  
Alexis stood up from the stool she was sitting on. "Dad, you were almost killed three times during the course of the case with Slaughter," she said, voice quavering as tears filled her eyes. "You came home so late and drunk one night, I was afraid you might choke on your vomit in your sleep. Grams and I stayed up all night watching you, just to make sure you were okay. Not once did that ever happen with Detective Beckett. I didn't know who you were during that time. It scared me. And it scared Grams. Please, we want the old you back." She paused, as tears rolled down her face. "I want my daddy back," she whispered.  
Castle wiped the tears off of her face, as he gathered her and Martha in for a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry."  
"Castle," said Ryan, "when you ran off with Slaughter, you didn't even give me and Espo an explanation as to why. And that hurt us. A lot. And then we come to find out that you were giving us the Ferrari? That told us you didn't intend to survive this case with him, and nearly killed us. We may be New York's finest, but we're human. We have feelings. And we love you. Not in a LOVE love kind if way, more like a bromance."  
Castle chuckled. "I got it," he said.  
"You touched a lot of lives at my precinct, Mr. Castle," said Gates. "I may not be your biggest fan, but your generosity to my department hasn't escaped my grasp. Your willingness to put in the long hours, to bring presents to my officers, and your general upbeat attitude has boosted morale for everyone. And I don't want to see that go." Castle nodded.  
"Do you see now, Richard?" asked Martha. "All these people who love you, don't want to see you hurt or killed. And you almost died with that Slaughter detective. Katherine Beckett is the best thing that came into your life since Alexis was born. Please don't be foolish enough to throw it all away."  
"And as for _you_," said Lanie, turning to Beckett, "you almost let your best friend and partner get killed. And for what? Just because he was making time with another cop?"  
"W-what?" replied Beckett, too astonished to formulate a proper answer.  
"Don't 'what' me," Lanie replied. "We all stood here and heard what you said to Castle as you walked in. You've been mad at him ever since he started shadowing Slaughter, instead of you."  
"That's not-"  
"Don't you tell me it's not true," countered Lanie. "You were willing to let him die, rather than admit you were jealous he was with someone else." Beckett hung her head, and silently let the tears fall.  
Jim he stood up from his seat in the booth, and approached his daughter. "Katie," he said gently, "Castle is one of the best things that's happened to you in years. I haven't seen you this happy or joyful since your mother died. Castle helped give me one of the best gifts I could ever have: he gave me my daughter back. Are you willing to throw all that away?"  
"No," whispered Beckett tearfully.  
"Then don't you think you should forgive him? He's done so much for you. Do something for him."  
Beckett's tears flowed freely, as she clung to her father, sobbing. Jim whispered soothingly to her, and rubbed her back until the tears stopped. When Beckett finally had herself under control, Jim turned her toward Castle. "I think you two have something to say to one another," he said gently.  
"Castle," said Beckett, turning to him as she wiped at her eyes, "I'm so sorry I almost got you killed with Slaughter. I shouldn't have let my jealousy control me. Will you come back to us? The boys miss you. _I_ miss you."  
Castle nodded, and held out his hand. Beckett smiled, stepped past, and hugged her partner. The room exploded into applause, as Castle hugged her back.  
"I expect you two at the precinct first thing Monday morning," said Gates, as she walked by.  
"Sir?" asked Beckett, stepping back from Castle.  
"You broke a case wide open, saved an innocent man, and showed Slaughter for the reckless bastard he is," Gates replied. "I'd say you earned some time off." Gates left the bar.  
"Everyone, help yourself to whatever you want," said Castle, facing his friends. "Drinks are on the house." He stepped away from Beckett, and headed toward his office.  
"Dad, where are you going?" asked Alexis in a worried tone.  
"Relax, honey," he replied. "I just need to call Paula and Gina, and tell them the new book fell through." Castle made his way down to his office. Once inside, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number he knew by memory. Hearing a click but no answer, he spoke quietly. "This is Richard Castle. I need to speak to Agent Gray at his earliest convenience." Castle poured himself a drink and sat down in his chair. "I'm done, Smith" he said to himself. The time to confront Beckett with her lies was quickly approaching.


End file.
